Hon Kelvin Davishttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/taxonomy/term/6365/feed
enTe Arawhiti: A ‘bridge’ to better Māori Crown relations launched at Parliamenthttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/te-arawhiti-%E2%80%98bridge%E2%80%99-better-m%C4%81ori-crown-relations-launched-parliament
Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis has welcomed the launch of the Office for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti at Parliament tonight.
About 100 people, including iwi leaders, Members of Parliament and the judiciary, joined together to celebrate the launch and acknowledge people who have made contributions to the establishment of Te Arawhiti and the broader Māori Crown relationship.
“Tonight was about bringing together people with a range of experiences across the Māori Crown relationship and celebrating the important role Te Arawhiti will play,” Kelvin Davis said.
“When the Prime Minister first asked me to lead this portfolio, we knew that we wanted to change how the Government engaged and worked with Māori, and to change how policy is developed.
“We didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past by deciding in Wellington what we thought was best for Māori and then presenting Māori with a done deal.
“I wanted to hear directly from people what they thought the priorities of the portfolio should be.
“That’s what I set out to understand earlier this year with 33 hui across the country. In all, 1600 people participated kanohi ki te kanohi in discussions and we received a further 230 submissions.
“I heard from individuals, groups and organisations; Māori and non-Māori. I have listened, and I promise you, we have heard. Te Arawhiti will support the Crown in being a better Treaty partner.
“As more and more Treaty settlements are completed, Māori increasingly want to engage with the Crown on a range of issues that look to the future. Te Arawhiti will provide the focus required to move from Treaty grievance to true partnerships.
“We have a lot of work to get on with and I have no doubt that Te Arawhiti will deliver and will do its mahi well,” Kelvin Davis said.
The agency’s website is: www.tearawhiti.govt.nz
Notes to editors:
Te Arawhiti will have its own chief executive who will report to Minister Davis and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little.
The Office encompasses several existing units, including:
the Office of Treaty Settlements;
the Marine and Coastal Area Unit;
the Settlement Commitments Unit; and
the Māori Crown Relations Unit.
Te Arawhiti will advise the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti across a number of key areas, including:
ensuring the Crown meets its Treaty settlement commitments
developing engagement, and the co-designing and partnering of models that will ensure other agencies generate better solutions across social, environmental, cultural and economic development
ensuring public sector capability to work effectively with Māori is strengthened
ensuring the engagement of public sector agencies with Māori is meaningful
providing an independent, cross-government view on the health of Māori/Crown partnerships;
providing strategic leadership and advice on contemporary Treaty issues;
brokering solutions to challenging relationship issues with Māori; and
coordinating significant Māori/Crown events on behalf of the Crown.
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz106712Corrections Officer graduation caps off a strong yearhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/corrections-officer-graduation-caps-strong-year
The graduation of 61 new Corrections Officers today caps off a strong year for the Department, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said.
The new recruits were joined by family, friends and colleagues as they received their epaulettes in the final graduation ceremony for 2018, with Mathew Vaoese from Rimutaka Prison receiving the Minister’s Excellence Award.
“As Minister, I get a lot of value from attending these graduations. It’s fantastic that Corrections has so many people stepping up to be positive role models for those who need it most,” Kelvin Davis said.
“If we do everything we can to help break the cycle of re-offending while people are behind the wire – whether it’s through employment programmes or mental health support – then we’re making our communities safer for everyone.
“This has been a strong year for Corrections, with around 580 Corrections Officers and Offender Employment Instructors graduating since January.
“They have also worked hard to ensure existing staff are safe and supported in their roles, reflected in their low unplanned turnover rate, compared to the public service average.
“That’s an impressive achievement for a government department that employs over 9,000 people.
“As 2018 comes to a close, I really want to tautoko all the frontline staff.
“Staff in prisons did an incredible job under challenging circumstances managing prisoners safely despite the prison population peaking at 10,820 people in March this year.
“The work of our High Impact Innovation Programme has now helped to safely reduce the prison population to under 10,000. This is important because it reduces the pressure on staff and prisoners, while still keeping the public safe.
“Community Corrections staff have also worked tirelessly this year. We have been able to support their work through Budget 2018 which provides $82.7 million for probation and community services, including 270 more probation officers by 2022.
“I am excited about what we will be able to achieve in 2019 as we continue our work to provide safe and effective alternatives to prison, while also reducing crime and re-offending.
“Thank you to all the staff who will still be working throughout the holiday period – I wish Corrections staff and their whānau a very safe and Merry Christmas,” Kelvin Davis said.
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:29:50 +1300beehive.govt.nz106652Government expresses condolences on passing of Hiwi Tauroa http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-expresses-condolences-passing-hiwi-tauroa
Tiwhatiwha te Pō!
Kakarauru te Pō!
I au i te Pō kerekere, i au i te Pō tangotango ka rapua kei hea koe e ngaro nei e!
Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta today paid tribute to former Race Relations Conciliator (Commissioner) and Māori All Black Hiwi Tauroa (DCMG, CNZM, JP), who passed away yesterday surrounded by his whānau.
“On behalf of the New Zealand Government we acknowledge the important contribution Hiwi Tauroa has made to the country,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Hiwi Tauroa was a highly accomplished New Zealander whose time as an educator, rugby coach, Auckland regional councillor, former Race Relations Conciliator and Māori All Black saw him earn many impressive achievements and accolades.
“Hiwi was a well-respected leader, not only for his people of Te Tai Tokerau, but as Race Relations Conciliator during the Springbok Tour of 1981 where he worked hard to bring biculturalism and tolerance to the national stage,” Kelvin Davis said.
Nanaia Mahuta said that Hiwi Tauroa has been a servant to his people across a wide range of issues in Aotearoa.
“He served as chairman of Te Māngai Paho and the NZ Sports Foundation, and was a former Board Member on the Massey University Council, the NZ Council for Educational Research, the NZ Principals Association, the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Trust Board and the Te Tai Tokerau Māori Trust Board,” Nanaia Mahuta said.
Kelvin Davis said: “We mourn his loss and send our sincere condolences to Hiwi’s beloved wife Pat, their whānau, tamariki and mokopuna.
“E kara e Hiwi, whakarerea i ngā pēhitanga o te ao kikokiko. Mahue iho mai mātou e tangi, e auē nei,” Kelvin Davis said
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 12:51:41 +1300beehive.govt.nz106632New non-stop flight brings Auckland and Chicago togetherhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-non-stop-flight-brings-auckland-and-chicago-together
The new Air New Zealand non-stop service between Auckland and Chicago will further strengthen tourism links between New Zealand and the United States, says Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis, who is travelling on the inaugural service.
In 2017 over 330,000 Americans visited New Zealand, spending nearly $1.3 billion across the country. These numbers are projected to grow, with visitors expected to contribute over $2.3 billion to the New Zealand economy by 2024.
“More and more Americans are coming here to experience our manaakitanga, our unique Kiwi hospitality that makes visitors feel like whānau as soon as they step off the plane,” Kelvin Davis said.
“The Auckland to Chicago flight will make it easier than ever for visitors from our third-largest visitor market to get a taste of New Zealand, and for kiwis to experience one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
“We want a tourism industry that delivers productive, inclusive and sustainable growth. With nearly 60 per cent of American visitors travelling outside of the peak seasons, this new route will spread the benefits of tourism across the year and help to achieve our tourism goals.”
In addition to tourism links, the United States is New Zealand’s fourth-largest trading partner and one of the largest sources of direct investment.
“The more links we have with each other, the more opportunities there are for business, travel and people-to-people connections. This route will boost these opportunities and deepen the relationship between New Zealand and the United States,” Kelvin Davis said.
Fri, 30 Nov 2018 16:42:02 +1300beehive.govt.nz106630PGF invests in final push to complete Waitangi Mountain Bike Parkhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pgf-invests-final-push-complete-waitangi-mountain-bike-park
The Government is backing a high-adrenaline tourism project in Northland by investing $490,000 from the Provincial Growth Fund towards the final stage of the Waitangi Mountain Bike Park, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
Funding for the $2.1 million project has come from a variety of sources and it is anticipated that the project could create over 160 jobs after 10 years. When completed, the community-owned park will offer mountain bikers 72 kilometres of trails catering to all abilities, and is expected to attract 15,000 new visitors to the region after three years.
“This will be a premium tourist attraction for the Bay of Islands that will create jobs in the long term and support the success of surrounding businesses,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Cycle tourism is a growing part of the market. The Waitangi Mountain Bike Park will complement Northland’s other major cycling attraction - Pou Herenga Tai Far North Cycle Way - and the long term plan is to connect the two attractions.”
The 2015 Northland Economic Action Plan (NEAP) identified tourism as a key opportunity to improve economic outcomes across the region and makes specific reference to developing higher quality and culturally enriching tourism offerings.
“This project has had buy-in from across the local community with support from the Waitangi National Trust, the local community board, local councils, and Northland locals.
“On top of generous donations to support the park, more than 200 people have written letters in support and 163 locals have registered as volunteers to carry out maintenance. It’s great that the Government is able to support this project too,” Kelvin Davis said.
Waitangi Mountain Bike Park is expected to earn a silver rating from the International Mountain Bike Association, putting it on a level with some of the most popular mountain bike parks in the world.
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 09:06:37 +1300beehive.govt.nz106460Working with local government to improve tourism infrastructurehttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/working-local-government-improve-tourism-infrastructure
Improvements to the criteria for the Tourism Infrastructure Fund will allow more communities to share the benefits of tourism, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
The changes will see a broader range of projects funded, and faster decisions that will deliver essential tourism infrastructure to communities and visitors sooner.
“The Tourism Infrastructure Fund supports local government to better manage the pressures from visitor growth. We’ve run two successful rounds, but the initial criteria put barriers in the way for some councils. These changes remove those barriers and will improve how the Fund works,” Kelvin Davis said.
Changes to the criteria include:
Lowering the minimum funding threshold from $100,000 to $25,000
Streamlined decision making by allowing the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to make decisions up to $1 million
Certainty around timing of funding rounds, which will now open on 1 March and 1 August each year
The ability for the assessment panel to consider operating and maintenance costs for up to two years when they assess applications
The criteria changes followed a review conducted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Local Government New Zealand, which heard from 34 councils from around the country.
“I asked for this review, because I want government to be an enabler to tourism and the regions,” Kelvin Davis said.
“The feedback from councils made it clear we needed to improve the criteria. We’ve listened and now more communities will benefit.
“We are committed to making sure everyone benefits from tourism, and this is one way we can help communities get the best from tourism growth. We’re looking to do more as a part of the draft Tourism Strategy, which is now out for consultation,” Kelvin Davis said.
Note to editors:
The Tourism Infrastructure Fund provides $100 million over four years in co-funding for the development of visitor-related public infrastructure such as toilets, carparks, freedom camping facilities and sewerage and water works.
Round three funding applications will be open from 1 March 2019.
So far, $33.8 million has been awarded to 80 projects from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund over two funding rounds. Projects funded range from $103,500 for enhancements to Hannaford’s Wharf in Coromandel to $5.71 million for the construction of a new land-based wastewater disposal system at Te Anau.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Local Government New Zealand will be running roadshows around the country in November to bring councils up to speed on the changes to the fund. The full set of changes to the funding criteria, can be found on the MBIE website.
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 09:15:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz106420Draft Tourism Strategy launchhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/draft-tourism-strategy-launch
Welcome and thank you all for coming here this morning.
I would like to acknowledge Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage, and give my thanks for the work that the Department of Conservation is doing with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in regards to the tourism sector.
This is an exciting time for tourism in Aotearoa.
More and more visitors want to see our beautiful country and enjoy our unique kiwi hospitality, our manaakitanga.
International visitor arrivals have grown by over 40 per cent in the last five years. 3.8 million visitors now arrive to our shores annually. By 2024, this is forecast to grow to 5.1 million each year.
This growth will bring significant benefits to our regions and people. Tourism is already our largest export earner and a vital part of our economy, our regions and our communities.
However, our current tourism system isn’t set up to make the most of these opportunities. It features a number of policy settings and funding arrangements that were never designed to deal with the growth we’ve seen in the past five years.
In some areas, our infrastructure and communities are struggling with this level of visitor growth, raising concerns about the impact on visitor experiences and community wellbeing.
This Government has listened and responded.
I established the Responsible Camping Working Group earlier this year to improve the freedom camping system, making $8.5 million available for immediate actions based on their recommendations.
I recently announced almost $20 million in funding for the second round of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund. And next year we will be rolling out the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
These are just a start. We are committed to tackling these issues over the long term.
We need to strengthen the stewardship of the tourism system.
We want to take a more deliberate and coordinated approach to tourism to ensure that tourism growth is productive, sustainable and inclusive.
This morning, I am releasing the Government’s draft Aotearoa-New Zealand Tourism Strategy for public consultation. This sets out government’s role in enriching New Zealand through sustainable tourism growth.
It shows how Government intends to take a more active and deliberate role with stakeholders and communities to shape future growth and better coordinate our investments in tourism.
The focus is on maximising the benefits of tourism growth, while managing and mitigating the risks.
The ultimate aim is to make sure that tourism growth is productive, sustainable and inclusive.
What does this mean? The draft strategy has five key outcomes that identify what success would look like.
These include:
More productive tourism growth. We need value to grow faster than volume.
Delivering exceptional visitor experiences that draw on our unique visitor proposition.
Ensuring that tourism makes a positive contribution to New Zealand’s natural, cultural and historic heritage. This includes how our visitors connect to our land, people and stories, particularly in relation to Māori tourism.
Making sure that New Zealanders’ lives are improved by tourism. This is critical to the industry’s social sustainability.
And finally ensuring that regions and communities benefit from tourism and inclusive growth. This includes ensuring whanau, iwi and hapū can benefit from tourism.
These outcomes are long-term and aspirational. But I believe Government can achieve these by working in a joined-up way across agencies.
The work of the tourism industry, local government and communities is vital to ensure the success of tourism in New Zealand.
I want to acknowledge those stakeholders here today who have played an important role in shaping the draft strategy.
It has been a truly collaborative effort between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Department of Conservation.
It has also involved a range of other agencies as well as targeted consultation with industry stakeholders.
The strategy identifies a large list of priority work areas that must be undertaken to achieve long-term success.
In the first couple of years it is likely that a particular focus will be required on a few of these areas, such as improving destination planning and implementing the recommendations of the Responsible Camping Working Group.
I want to know what is significant to you. It’s important we take the time to kōrero with industry and the community to hear their views on the strategy.
We want to make sure that our vision for the future direction of tourism line up with what industry and New Zealander’s want tourism to look like.
We are undertaking consultation on the draft strategy until February next year and we invite you to comment on the draft.
This draft strategy provides a future roadmap for the tourism sector and its stakeholders.
The government is also focused on developing tools to help implement the strategy.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) is one of these tools, delivering about $400 million in revenue over five years.
We’ve previously signalled that the revenue from the Levy will be split 50:50 between conservation and tourism.
With respect to tourism, this funding will help drive the outcomes of the draft tourism strategy. The two are aligned.
We will use it to protect the things that make New Zealand special, and make sure that we have the facilities that support a great visitor experience, without imposing unnecessary costs on our communities.
An Investment Plan outlining the specific Levy projects will be developed with input from an advisory panel made up of industry, local government and conservation stakeholders.
The IVL will be a crucial tool for implementing this Strategy.
It will reinforce how we want to work together with the sector.
I know tourism can deliver productive, sustainable and inclusive growth for all New Zealanders.
I look forward to receiving your views, and continuing to work with the tourism industry to maintain New Zealand’s well-earned reputation as a premium destination.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 09:10:23 +1300beehive.govt.nz106176Strategy for a better tourism system launchedhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/strategy-better-tourism-system-launched
The draft Aotearoa-New Zealand Government Tourism Strategy is an important step in ensuring that all New Zealanders benefit from productive, sustainable and inclusive tourism growth, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today.
The Government also announced the next steps on how the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will be invested to support implementation of the strategy.
“Tourism is a huge contributor to New Zealand’s economic success and we need to continue to ensure we get the best from tourism growth for our country and people, while managing the challenges that come with it,” Kelvin Davis said.
“This strategy proposes a more co-ordinated and active role for government in tourism, to make sure growth is productive, sustainable and inclusive - improving New Zealanders’ lives and supporting thriving and sustainable regions.
Eugenie Sage said that sustainability is central to this strategy.
“We know our natural and cultural wonders are a major drawcard, and we want to see tourism help maintain and restore our unique natural, cultural and historic heritage,” Eugenie Sage said.
“I urge everyone to have their say on this strategy.”
The Government has also announced that the revenue collected from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will be split 50:50 between conservation and tourism to help drive the outcomes of the strategy.
“The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy is one tool that will help achieve our tourism goals, while protecting and enhancing our natural environment,” Kelvin Davis said.
The Government will develop an investment plan, with input from key conservation and tourism stakeholders.
“We will use the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to protect the things that make New Zealand special, and to make sure it remains a great place to visit,” Eugenie Sage said.
Engagement on the draft Tourism Strategy closes at 5pm, 04 February 2019. Further details on the draft Strategy and the outcome of the international visitor levy consultation are available on the MBIE website here.
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 07:30:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz106174Working together to protect New Zealandhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/working-together-protect-new-zealand
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis today welcomes the launch of Tiaki – Care for New Zealand, an industry-led initiative that encourages kiwis and international visitors to act as guardians of New Zealand.
The initiative is a result of cross-sector collaboration, including public and private sector tourism organisations who have proactively come together to encourage positive visitor behaviour.
“Tiaki – Care for New Zealand and the Tiaki Promise is about the importance of our home, our place and people, and how we all have a responsibility to look after it,” Kelvin Davis said.
“New Zealanders have a unique connection to our home, and we have a collective duty to care for our country. Tiaki – Care for New Zealand is about helping everyone, including our visitors, feel that same sense of guardianship. Together, we can protect the things that make New Zealand special and help ensure they last for future generations.
“Tiaki will also mean people can safely enjoy what New Zealand has to offer, by driving carefully and properly preparing for our amazing great walks.”
“As Tourism Minister I have been encouraging collaboration across central and local government, industry and the private sector. It is the only way that we as a country can ensure that New Zealand continues to benefit from tourism. Tiaki – Care for New Zealand is the result of this kind of collaboration.
“Tiaki – Care for New Zealand is a great example of what can happen when we work together as an industry, and I congratulate everyone who has been involved in this initiative.
“I look forward to seeing New Zealanders and visitors standing behind the principles of Tiaki, acting as guardians of our place and people, and being safe and responsible while they travel around Aotearoa,” Kelvin Davis said.
For more information, visit tiakinewzealand.com and share your support by using #tiakipromise
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:30:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz106124$770,000 to maintain the quality of Great Rideshttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/770000-maintain-quality-great-rides
A further $770,000 is being invested in our regions for the upkeep of eleven Great Rides of Nga Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
The investment comes from the ninth round of the Maintaining the Quality of Great Rides Fund, which aims to ensure New Zealand’s premier rides are maintained to their current world class standard.
“Every year, over one million people enjoy the 22 Great Rides across New Zealand. This funding will mean these important cycle trails continue to be refined, improved and maintained,” Kelvin Davis said.
“The Great Rides play an important part in the offering that our regions have for tourists from overseas and people from around New Zealand. They showcase some of the best parts of New Zealand, and provide people with a unique and exciting experience.
“A range of work is now able to get underway, including safety and signage improvements, upgrading trail surfaces and replacing bridges. These improvements will make sure people continue to experience top class cycling,” Kelvin Davis said.
Round ten of the Maintaining the Quality of Great Rides Fund is expected to open in early 2019.
Notes to editors
The trails to receive funding are:
Motu Trails Charitable Trust: Motu Trail - $28,573
Queenstown Trails Trust: Queenstown Trails - $23,247
Hauraki Rail Trail Charitable Trust: Hauraki Rail Trail - $67,490
Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust: Old Ghost Road - $22,637
Bike Taupo Inc: Great Lake Trail - $26,575
WREDA: Remutaka Cycle Trail - $56,000
Alps to Ocean Joint Committee: A2O Cycle Trail - $28,045
Southland District Council: Around the Mountains Cycle Trail - $116,050
Otago Central Rail Trail Charitable Trust: Otago Central Rail Trail - $41,700
Nelson City Council: Dun Mountain Trail - $145,488
Westland District Council: West Coast Wilderness Trail - $213,563
The Maintaining the Quality of Great Rides Fund provides funding to make sure New Zealand’s predominately off-road trails are maintained to the world class standard expected of these premier tracks.
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 09:30:09 +1300beehive.govt.nz106010$245,000 for Great Lake Trailhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/245000-great-lake-trail
A new 15 kilometre extension to the Great Lake Trail will improve safety for cyclists and help promote Taupō as a cycling destination, says Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis.
The Government has committed $245,000 from the Ngā Haerenga, New Zealand Cycle Trail: Enhancement and Extension Fund for the Otaketake Link, which will branch off the K2K Track, between Kawakawa Bay and Kinloch, and run to the start of the Orakau Track.
“Supporting thriving and sustainable regions is a priority for this Government. It’s estimated almost 18,000 riders will use the new track in the first year alone, bringing in an additional $1 million in visitor spending to the region,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Many cyclists currently ride along the road from Kinloch to reach the start of the Orakau Track. This new link will provide a safer alternative and will create a scenic 30 kilometre loop that will add to the general appeal of the Great Lake Trail.
“The trail currently sits at 71 kilometres in length and provides an excellent, all-seasons riding experience through native forests with views across Lake Taupō to the Tongariro National Park.”
The total cost of the Otaketake Link project is around $360,000, with local sources contributing the remaining funding. The trail extension will take around eight months to complete.
“Like all the Great Rides, the Great Lake Trail attracts visitors throughout the year, helping the local economy and job market by reducing the seasonality of the visitor industry,” Kelvin Davis said.
Ngā Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail is a network of 22 premier and predominately off-road Great Rides across the country, used by more than a million people per year.
Wed, 17 Oct 2018 09:48:52 +1300beehive.govt.nz1059282019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism opening ceremony http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/2019-china-new-zealand-year-tourism-opening-ceremony
The official 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism opening ceremony will be held at Te Papa in February 2019, announced Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis today.
The opening ceremony will be held on 20 February 2019, with a special event at Te Papa, and coincides with the hosting of 2,300-year-old Chinese artefacts as a part of the Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality exhibition
“The 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism is a fantastic opportunity for New Zealand to showcase what it is that makes us a world class destination, and for us to think about how we can best welcome Chinese visitors to our shores,” Kelvin Davis said.
“It’s also a great opportunity for New Zealanders to learn more about China and its culture, through the Te Papa exhibition and two-way tourism.
“More Chinese visitors are coming to New Zealand than ever before, with 450,000 people visiting in the year to June 2018. This is set to increase to 800,000 visitors per year by 2024, so it’s vital that New Zealand is able to provide the best experience possible.
“New Zealand and China’s shared tourism relationship is a special and enduring one and the Year of Tourism is a fitting way to celebrate this,” Kelvin Davis said.
More information about the 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism, including planned events and ways to get involved, can be found by visiting: www.cnzyot.govt.nz.
Notes to editors:
The 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism was announced by the New Zealand and Chinese governments as part of an official visit from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in March 2017.
The year is an opportunity for businesses of all types, and particular those involved with tourism, to focus on the Chinese market and build capability.
It is also an opportunity to strengthen relationships, build wider business and trade connections and enhance New Zealand’s reputation in China.
The event at Te Papa will hosted by China National Tourism Office.
The closing ceremony will be held in China near the end of 2019, and will be hosted by the New Zealand Government.
Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:45:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz105908Speech: Xiyangyang Expo Opening Night Galahttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-xiyangyang-expo-opening-night-gala
Ni Men Hao. Good evening everyone.
Tonight marks a special occasion – it is the first China-New Zealand industry event in the lead-up to the China New Zealand Year of Tourism 2019.
Before I go on, there are some key people I want to acknowledge who have all contributed to tonight’s event.
Can I please thank:
Lisa Li, Managing Director, China Travel Service New Zealand;
Director Luo of the China National Tourism Organisation Office, Australia and New Zealand;
Madam Xu, China Consul General;
Dave Cull, Mayor of Dunedin and President, LGNZ;
Daniel Walker, Deputy Chair, New Zealand Māori Tourism;
Our Sponsors: ATEED, Auckland Airport, China Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, New Zealand Māori Tourism;
Stephen England-Hall, CE of Tourism New Zealand;
Our wonderful MC’s, Rachel Hunter and Brett O’Reily;
And all the Mayors from across New Zealand who have travelled for this event.
This weekend marks the 4th Xiyangyang Expo – the largest tourism event for the New Zealand Chinese community – and the opening of the City of 100 Lovers show which showcases the unique New Zealand tourism experience that for many begins right here in Auckland.
It is fitting that the first event associated with the Year of Tourism has been organised with New Zealand’s Chinese community here in Auckland.
You are the face of the new New Zealand and a group that is deeply influential in strengthening links between our two countries.
The recent New Zealand Chinese Language Week is a great example of this, with tangible enthusiasm for Chinese language in New Zealand.
The New Zealand China Council recently found that Kiwi parents now consider Mandarin the most desirable language for their children to learn.
New Zealand and China’s shared tourism relationship is a special and enduring one.
Not only does 2019 allow us to celebrate this relationship through our Year of Tourism, but it marks the 20th anniversary of New Zealand welcoming our first Chinese visitors to experience safe and enjoyable holidays in Aotearoa.
Long may this relationship continue.
Looking forward, this relationship will continue to strengthen.
Over the next six years, Chinese visitors are expected to nearly double in number, from 450,000 to over 800,000 per year.
And this growth puts China on track to become our largest visitor market by expenditure – surpassing Australia.
And travel in the other direction is also growing rapidly, with China now New Zealand’s fifth most popular destination.
The Chinese market is incredibly valuable for New Zealand.
It has the highest daily spend of any visitor market, and the highest growth of independent travellers staying longer and visiting a wider range of regions.
And it’s encouraging to see operators looking to capitalise on this market by shaping products to suit the needs of our Chinese guests, while offering them our unique culture.
An example of this is Napier Māori Tours, recent winners at the inaugural New Zealand Māori Tourism Dragon’s Den awards for their immersive cultural experience.
Visitors are welcomed at the local marae, gather kai together, prepare a hangi and hear stories about the land and its people.
Examples like this capture the essence of our shared Year of Tourism – it is built on the strong people-to-people connections between New Zealand and China, and the journey of understanding we are all on together.
The Year of Tourism is an opportunity for New Zealand to showcase what it is that makes New Zealand a world class destination:
Our stunning natural landscapes, our range of unique products and experiences, and manaakitanga – the quintessential Kiwi hospitality that makes visitors feel like whānau as soon as they step off the plane.
It is also an opportunity to take stock of the importance of China to our tourism sector and consider how we continue to roll out the welcome mat to Chinese visitors.
There are many ways you can get involved in the Year of Tourism – and I know many of you in this room already have preparing for this, through events, team upskilling or new product offerings.
I am delighted to announce that the official Year of Tourism Opening Ceremony between our governments will take place at Te Papa on 20 February 2019, in conjunction with the Terracotta Warriors exhibition.
I look forward to welcoming my Chinese counterparts to our capital city and showing them the affinity that New Zealand has for China and her culture.
This will be bookended by Auckland and Christchurch’s annual Lantern Festivals – hosted by Auckland’s Chinese Community and in Christchurch by Mayors from across the South Island.
Later in the year we will get to see Dunedin’s ID Fashion Week in partnership with a number of world-leading design groups from Shanghai showcasing Dunedin’s thriving design scene.
I would like to extend my thanks to the Mayor of Queenstown and Destination Queenstown for leading New Zealand’s first official Year of Tourism Delegation to China next week to showcase the region’s premium products and some of our most exciting experiences.
I personally am looking forward to visiting China and experiencing for myself as part of the Year of Tourism.
And in what will surely be one of the Year’s highlights, the China National Tourism Office and China Travel Service are planning A Night of 1000 New Zealanders in Xi’an in September next year.
New Zealanders visiting China at that time will be invited to attend this once-in-a-lifetime evening where they will be welcomed to the home of the Terracotta Warriors through the ancient city gates.
The New Zealand Government is also using the Year of Tourism as a platform to raise the quality of the service Chinese visitors receive when they travel our country.
I was pleased to hear that New Zealand’s Customs Service, MPI’s Border Operations team and the New Zealand Police are using the Year of Tourism to upskill their own cultural capabilities to ensure Chinese visitors receive world-class service at every stage of their journey.
The Government has launched a Year of Tourism website which contains information about events throughout the Year and the official logo which can be downloaded free of charge.
Tourism is fundamentally about building people-to-people connections.
With our two countries set to mark twenty years of tourism flows in 2019, our shared Year of Tourism seems a fitting way to celebrate the strength of this relationship.
Let’s use the Year of Tourism to truly roll out the welcome mat to our Chinese visitors and showcase our unique people and culture, world class cities and regions, experiences and natural landscapes.
Thank you all for attending this milestone event tonight, and for the immense support and work you have done in preparation for the Year of Tourism. Please enjoy tonight’s show.
Xie Xie
Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz105906Speech: Tourism New Zealand Business Events Dinner http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-tourism-new-zealand-business-events-dinner
I would like to thank Kerry Prendergast and Stephen England-Hall, and the team at Tourism New Zealand for organising this great event tonight.
It’s an honour to be here to celebrate the success of the business events sector.
I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you who’ve helped bring an international conference to New Zealand.
In the last financial year, New Zealand successfully won hosting rights for more than two-thirds of the conventions we bid for.
This is a fantastic result for such a small nation.
Your efforts have brought real benefits to our regions and our economy.
As you know, bidding for international events is hugely competitive.
We’re up against much bigger competitors around the world.
But we have an advantage, and that is our unique people and culture.
Our kiwi style of hosting, our manaakitaga, ensures that conference delegates arrive here as visitors but leave as whānau.
This makes a real difference on the global stage.
That – as well as our world-class meeting spaces, stunning scenery and you, our international experts – is what sets us apart from others.
I’d also like to acknowledge the tremendous benefits that international conferences bring to New Zealand.
Conferences like the ones you’re involved in deliver millions of dollars to the economy. In 2017, international delegates spent a total of $153 million in New Zealand.
Of course, the return New Zealand gets from hosting international conferences is more than just economic.
Hosting an international conference raises the international profile of New Zealand in key sectors and brings influencers and leaders to our country. This can often be the catalyst that sparks innovation.
The Government wants to foster sustainable growth through innovation, technology and high-paying jobs.
I believe international conferences provide a starting point for bringing real benefits to our business, research and technology sectors.
International conferences have the potential to grow our industry sectors which have a flow on effect to all New Zealanders.
A thriving business events sector is also crucial to the overall success of tourism.
Compared to other visitors, international conference delegates stay for a shorter time but spend over 50 per cent more per night than all other visitors.
We also know that conference delegates are keen to get out and see the regions, with international visitors (outside of Australia) spending 44 per cent of their nights outside of their event region.
Growing the regions is a priority for this Government, and I am pleased that with your help tourism is doing its part to contribute.
Increasing the number of international conferences we host is a great way of increasing productivity and regional dispersal in our tourism system.
This is something I am keen to work on with all of you.
I’m also interested in maximising the ways tourism benefits our communities.
For me a successful tourism industry means flourishing regions, opportunities for Māori enterprise, and meaningful career opportunities for our young people, our rangatahi.
I believe there’s plenty of scope for our business events sector to play a prominent role in this space.
I’d encourage all of you to seek out Māori tourism products that can be incorporated into your conferences to give your delegates an unforgettable taste of New Zealand.
I’m eager to collaborate with the sector and explore innovative ways we can increase these opportunities.
The success of the business events sector reflects the passion and hard-work of those working in the sector and those who support it.
In particular, I want to acknowledge the work Tourism New Zealand does in supporting conference bids.
Your Conference Assistance Programme provides invaluable support and has made a real difference to many of those seeking to bring conferences to New Zealand.
I also want to acknowledge the hard work of New Zealand Regional Convention Bureaux and the various convention bureaus across New Zealand.
The range of support services they offer is vital in making sure that our international conferences are a success.
2020 will see the first conferences held at the New Zealand International Convention Centre. This will provide a global hub for events in the heart of our biggest city, Auckland.
In 2020, the Christchurch Convention Centre – Te Pae will open. This will unlock the potential of Christchurch and the Canterbury region.
These new facilities will provide great, new spaces for international conferences in New Zealand.
The Government is fully supportive of the excellent work you are all doing, alongside the work of Tourism New Zealand and your local convention bureaus.
Your work helps to set us apart on the world stage and bring a raft of benefits to New Zealand.
Once again, congratulations on your successful conference bids.
Tonight is a great opportunity to celebrate this success. I look forward to getting to know you all more and hearing your conference win stories.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +1300beehive.govt.nz105900Opening remarks: Māori Education Peak Bodies Wānangahttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/opening-remarks-m%C4%81ori-education-peak-bodies-w%C4%81nanga
Tēnā koutou, e hoa mā. He tino koanga ngākau kua huihui mai tātau ki tā tātau kaupapa.
Ko koutou ngā kaiwhakahaere me ngā mātanga o ngā mahi nei hei hāpai i ngā iwi o te motu, arā ko ngā ākonga me ō rātau whānau tonu.
Ānō te ataahua o te noho tahi o te tuakana me te teina ki runga i te whakaaro kotahi.
Kei te āta whakahoutia te pūnaha mātauranga, ōna wāhanga katoa, nō reira kia kaha mai koutou, kia kaha mai tātau ki te whakatakoto huarahi mō Ngāi Māori.
Me aro tātau ki ngā kura Māori, me aro hoki tātau ki ā tātau tamariki mokopuna kei ngā kura auraki.
Kotahi tonu tā tātau whāinga, kia ora te iwi, kia tae ki te pae o angitū.
At the start of this year, the Hon Chris Hipkins announced a major overhaul of our education system.
We are in the process of stripping down, examining and rebuilding some of the fundamental building blocks of our system that have been in place for decades.
This is a once-in-30-years exercise and creates opportunities for us to give voice to our hopes and dreams for Māori learners and to shape the future for our tamariki and mokopuna.
As part of this work, we will refresh Ka Hikitia and Tau Mai Te Reo.
We will also ensure that we embed issues and opportunities for Māori learners across all parts of the Education Work Programme.
The Ministry of Education has nearly completed a round of regional hui to seek the views of our whānau around the country.
We have asked them about what is working well, what frustrates them and what they would like to change. Now, I am delighted to ask you for your views about these questions.
I would encourage you to think about te pae tata and te pae tawhiti.
We know there are some topical issues that you will have strong views on. Kei te pai, kia kaha te kōrero mai.
I am also interested in your views about the future of our education system. What do we want it to look like in 2050?
In the kōrero with whānau, there have been some very familiar themes. Our people have spoken about the key role of whānau in the education of Māori learners.
They have spoken about unconscious bias (and conscious bias too) and the impact this has on our kids.
They have spoken about the importance of quality teaching and learning and how we incorporate te reo and tikanga Māori into our daily lives.
Kei te pai, kei te mārama tātau ki ēnei kōrero.
I have challenged the Ministry of Education to think about the “so what”.
What steps can we take to address these issues?
My focus is to develop a seamless education pathway for our tamariki.
The various key stakeholders and representatives of Māori Education from kōhanga reo/ early childhood education through to tertiary have never come together to work out how we create this pathway and how we get the best educational outcomes for our children.
I want to have a discussion about how we collectively get 100 percent of rangatahi staying at kura and school until the end of Year 13 and into higher education, trades and employment.
I am interested in your ideas and I have instructed the Ministry that their role today is to listen and then to think about how we incorporate these issues and opportunities for Māori education across the overall Education Work Programme.
I have recently received a number of briefings about various components of the overall Education Work Programme (for example, the Review of Tomorrow’s Schools, the Education Workforce Strategy and various workstreams within the Tertiary Education Sector).
My questions are always the same:
How are they thinking about the issues and opportunities for Māori?
How will they give effect to this?
How will Māori get to exercise authority within these workstreams?
I am pleased that there is a strong focus across the board in terms of thinking about where Māori will feature in these workstreams.
There is always more to be done, though. What else should I be asking? How connected are you to these conversations?
I am keen for our conversation today to be organic and free-flowing. Mā koutou e ārahi ngā kōrero.
Tue, 09 Oct 2018 13:13:14 +1300beehive.govt.nz105902Freshwater plan to explore Māori and Crown shared interestshttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/freshwater-plan-explore-m%C4%81ori-and-crown-shared-interests
The Government plan announced today to improve freshwater quality acknowledges that water quality cannot be addressed without a concurrent and substantive discussion with Māori, Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis said.
Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor today released the Government’s blueprint to improve freshwater quality. It also sets out a new approach to the Māori/Crown relationship that will acknowledge Māori interests in fair access to water to develop their land.
“We acknowledge that Māori have rights and interests in freshwater, and we are committed to a substantive discussion on how to address these interests by taking practical steps to address constraints on Māori land development,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Māori need fair access to water both to meet their aspirations and to enable the broader New Zealand economy to thrive.
“Both Māori and the Crown are committed to water quality and ecosystem health, encapsulated in the concept of Te Mana o te Wai.
“In early August, we established Kahui Wai Māori – the Māori Freshwater Forum – to broaden the conversation with Māori on freshwater, and we will continue to consult more widely, including with the Iwi Leaders Group, before key decision points,” Kelvin Davis said.
David Parker said the Government is taking an inclusive approach to solving these issues by engaging leading New Zealanders who care about our freshwater – environmental NGOs, Māori, farming leaders, scientists, Regional Council experts and others.
“We know Māori share the same interests as the rest of New Zealand in improving water quality and ensuring fair access to water resources,” David Parker said.
Damien O’Connor said New Zealanders all agree our natural resources must be used wisely.
“Primary sectors underpin an environmentally-sustainable, high-value economy that supports the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. This is why we must grow a sustainable and productive primary sector within environmental limits,” Damien O’Connor said.
Kelvin Davis said the work programme will bring in perspectives, insights and skills from a wide range of Māori society.
“We know there are a range of views from Māori about the path forward, and we want an inclusive conversation, that involves all Māori and all New Zealanders,” Kelvin Davis said.
Notes to editors
The documents Essential Freshwater and Shared interests in Freshwater can be read on the Ministry for the Environment website at: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/fresh-water/essential-freshwater-agenda
Kahui Wai Māori will bring a broad Māori perspective. Its members are: Kingi Smiler (chair); Dr James Ataria; Mahina-a-rangi Joy Baker; Riki Ellison; Traci Houpapa; Dr Tanira Kingi; Paul Morgan; Millan Ruka; Prof Jacinta Ruru; Hon Dover Samuels; Annette Skyes.
Mon, 08 Oct 2018 10:54:43 +1300beehive.govt.nz105820Visitor levy to raise $80 million to future proof tourismhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/visitor-levy-raise-80-million-future-proof-tourism
Cabinet has approved a new International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to be set at $35 per visitor, raising an estimated $80 million a year to go toward tourism infrastructure and conservation projects, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
The levy will be collected through visa fees and via the new Electronic Travel Authority, with legislation due to be passed around the middle of next year.
“The estimated $80 million a year this levy will raise gives New Zealand the opportunity to be a world leader in destination management and a place that focuses on getting the best from tourism growth for our country and people,” Kelvin Davis said.
“This levy is one part of a package of initiatives designed to make sure the tourism industry is sustainable, productive and inclusive, and continues to provide good experiences for both visitors and local communities.”
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said public consultation showed strong support for the levy, with the majority of the 107 submitters in favour of setting the fee at $35.
“The money raised through the levy will help improve the protection and enhancement of New Zealand’s distinctive natural environment and improve tourism planning. The chance to enjoy Aotearoa’s spectacular landscapes and nature are a major reason international visitors come to our country,” Eugenie Sage said.
“Nature is at the heart of New Zealand’s success. Improved tourism strategy and planning will help ensure the natural, cultural and historic heritage that underpins our tourism industry is protected and enhanced into the future.”
Kelvin Davis said the intention is for funds to be split evenly between conservation and tourism and further work with stakeholders will now be done to decide the best ways to spend the levy’s revenue.
“We have a couple of options on how to do this and will work through those with our partners, but the main feature of the levy is that its revenue will be set aside for conservation work and tourism infrastructure,” Mr Davis said.
“This levy will provide sustainable funding so as a country we can better respond to the challenges and opportunities of tourism growth,” Kelvin Davis said.
The Cabinet paper is here: www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/border-changes/international-visitor-conservation-and-tourism-levy/release-of-official-information-regarding-the-decision-to-implement-the-ivl.pdf
Notes to editors:
Key aspects of the proposal:
Most international visitors entering New Zealand for 12 months or less will be charged a levy of $35.
There will be some exemptions, most notably Australian citizens and permanent residents and people from many Pacific Island countries.
Ship and air crew will be exempt from the levy.
The levy will be collected through visa fees and the new Electronic Travel Authority. For more information about the ETA, please click here: www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/border-changes/changes-at-the-border.pdf
The levy will collect around $80 million in its first year which will go towards tourism infrastructure and conservation activity.
As the proposed levy will be required to go through a legislative process, it will likely be implemented in the second half of 2019.
The Government will now work with conservation, local government and tourism industry stakeholders on how the money will be invested.
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 10:33:01 +1200beehive.govt.nz105686Speech: Māori Legal, Business and Governance Forumhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-m%C4%81ori-legal-business-and-governance-forum
I’m honoured to be here as the first Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti.
I understand many of you are keen to hear what this portfolio’s all about. I think that kōrero is also relevant to the kaupapa you’re all here to discuss over the next couple of days, so I’ll start there.
The creation of the portfolio signals the Government’s focus on opportunities for partnerships and better engagement between the Crown and Māori on matters of mutual interest.
To achieve this focus, the government has approved the following initial priorities for the Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti:
ensure the Crown meets its Treaty obligations;
develop a new engagement model and guidelines for the Government and public sector;
co-design partnerships, principles and frameworks to ensure that agencies generate the best solutions to issues affecting Māori;
ensure public sector capability is strengthened across the board;
provide a cross Government view on the health of the Māori Crown partnerships;
provide strategic leadership on contemporary Treaty issues;
other matters including the constitutional and institutional arrangements supporting partnerships between the Crown and Māori: and
continue to take the lead in organising significant Māori and Crown events, ie Waitangi Day.
As Minister, I see these priorities as a means to improve the Māori Crown relationship by doing things differently and not repeating the mistakes of the past.
Those mistakes include instances where governments decided they knew what was best for Māori, sat in Wellington and wrote up a strategy, then went out to whānau, hapū, and iwi and told them what the government had decided will be in their best interests.
That approach has never worked. So I took the time to travel around the motu and ask what we needed to do to strengthen the relationship, and what my priorities as Minister should be.
There was a lot of interest and enthusiasm to give me answers to those questions.
The hui ran from March to June. I held 20 public hui and 11 focus groups attended by over 1600 people, and received around 230 written submissions.
Some of you may have even participated in that process.
The overwhelming theme emerging from that engagement was that Māori desire a closer relationship with the Crown – one of partnership.
This doesn’t mean shared governance. The Crown is still the Crown and its obligations are unchanged.
To me partnership simply implies shared responsibility by the Crown bringing its support to the table, and Māori their motivation.
I have now finalised the scope of the portfolio based on what I heard, and happy that this has recently been confirmed by Cabinet.
Cabinet has also agreed to establish an agency to oversee Government’s work with Māori in a post-settlement era.The agency, to be called the Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, will help facilitate the next step in the Treaty relationship – moving beyond the settlement of Treaty grievances into what it means to work together in partnerships. The name reflects feedback from the hui that Māori should appear first in the relationship. Te Arawhiti, refers to the transition phase we are in, that is ‘the bridge’ between Māori and the Crown. Capability and capacityDuring my engagement on the portfolio, much of the discussion was around capability and capacity. A common narrative was the need to build capability and capacity to fully realise Māori potential or make the most of opportunities available.
But too often this narrative is focussed on building Māori capability and capacity just to engage with the Crown and its processes.
I recall one comment in particular.
One of several focus groups I met with was made up of Māori business owners and entrepreneurs. At one stage we talked about the opportunities the Crown can make available to assist Māori business owners to be successful.
The response I received was: “We don’t need Crown assistance to be successful as business owners. We just need the Crown to get out of the way.”
That comment – and many others like it – made me realise that Māori can and are lifting their own capability and capacity.
Māori have been navigating and adapting to Crown processes since 1840, and continue to do so in the increasingly post-settlement environment we find ourselves in.
Fora like this prove it. The Māori economy is estimated to be around $50 billion – testament to the capability of Māori to capitalise on opportunities if they have the economic base to do so.
The Crown is actively supporting that through the work done by the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta, and her officials at Te Puni Kōkiri.
Supporting Māori capability and capacity-building will always be a priority for the Crown.
But what I think is missing is the Crown’s need to build its own capability and capacity to engage with and support Māori as partners. That’s what I want to focus on as Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti.
PartnershipFor too long the Crown has expected Māori to come to its table. In establishing the Māori Crown Relations portfolio, I want to change that narrative.
If the relationship between Māori and the Crown is to be one of partnership, both sides need to be committed to understanding the other and working collaboratively with the other.
This is why one of my key responsibilities is ensuring public sector capability is strengthened.
I propose to do this by developing and testing a number of modules to support the public sector’s capability to better engage and partner with Māori.
The modules include improving cultural capability (te reo me ngā tikanga Māori) and recognising unconscious bias. An important aspect of this is the way the Crown engages with Māori. So I am also developing a framework to guide Ministers’ and public-sector agencies’ engagement with Māori, alongside engagement, co-design, and partnership principles to ensure agencies generate optimal solutions to issues.
These modules will be complementary with the upcoming State Sector Act reforms led by my colleague, Hon Chris Hipkins, the Minister of State Services.
This work also has a focus on lifting the public sector’s capability to support the Crown in meeting its Treaty obligations. One of the aims is to better set out expectations, which are likely to include things like the State Services Commissioner and Chief Executives building cultural competence and supporting Māori public servants into leadership positions.
It will take time for this to become the new status quo.
A lot of work needs to be done to reach that point. But already I am seeing a real willingness on the side of the Crown to pick up this wero.
Innovation in a post-settlement environmentI recently attended the Ngati Porou – Crown Summit for 2018. The Summit provides an opportunity to give effect to a Relationship Accord that Ngati Porou has with the Crown through their Treaty settlement.
Collaboration to deliver improved outcomes is the underlying spirit of the Accord, and the Summit was this Government’s first opportunity to give effect to that intent for Ngati Porou.
I heard a number of issues Ngati Porou is facing right now. But there was one kaupapa in particular that struck a chord with me: the need for health equity for Ngati Porou.
Being so isolated on the East Coast, combined with poor infrastructure in the rohe, Ngati Porou die younger and suffer more.
They want this to change. They want health equity for their people.
To improve health access and service in the rohe, Ngati Porou have developed their own health service model of care. It has been developed independently by Ngati Porou, based on their own tikanga, and with community at its heart.
So Ngati Porou asked the Crown for help. But they didn’t ask the Crown for the solution to this issue; they just asked the Crown to work with them to develop a business case to support the model.
As I mentioned earlier, this is what Māori are already capable of.
This is the type of initiative that PSGEs are leading. The Crown can support this innovation by removing the obstacles in the way of their success.
So that’s what we did; we committed to supporting their business case. And not just by throwing money at it, but by actively working together with Ngati Porou.
The Crown committed to collaborating with Ngati Porou through the Ministry of Health to achieve the outcomes Ngati Porou desire for their people. To me, this is partnership in action.
Of course, that’s just the first step. The real test of the Crown’s capability will be in the work that is achieved with Ngati Porou and continued relationships that are forged.
It is my hope that, with my focus on lifting Crown capability, and the growing willingness I am seeing across the Crown, that collaborative, innovative projects between Māori like Ngati Porou and the Crown will be successful – to the benefit of us all.
ClosingThat is my message to you – the Māori legal, business, and governance leaders of today and tomorrow: the Crown has a lot to learn from you. Fora like this prove that Māori are already leading the way in the approach to modern business.
You refute the well-worn narrative that Māori need handouts to lift their capability and realise their potential.
I say it’s the other way around: the Crown needs to follow your example.
Build its own capability and capacity, be open to collaborating and working together, innovate and explore new ways of doing things.
The Crown is supporting Māori development through the work done by my colleague, Minister Mahuta, and Te Puni Kōkiri, which must continue.
But I see a gap on the Crown’s side of that relationship – a need to develop its own capability to engage with and support Māori.
So while you discuss how to support the growing success of the Māori economy, the Crown is having the same conversation.
We are listening to you, and working on lifting our game to be the Treaty partner we need to be.
Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi – with my food basket and yours, the people will flourish.
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:24:26 +1200beehive.govt.nz105904Synthetic drug detector dogs ahead of the game in keeping prisons safehttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/synthetic-drug-detector-dogs-ahead-game-keeping-prisons-safe
Corrections’ detector dogs are the first in New Zealand to be trained in sniffing out synthetic cannabis and other new psychoactive substances, playing a crucial role in keeping prisons safe, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says.
Five detector dog teams graduated from a specialised week-long training course earlier this year and are now trained to detect the main ingredients most commonly found in a range of psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabis.
“We know synthetic drugs are dangerous and pose a significant risk to people’s safety, security and wellbeing both inside and outside prison,” Kelvin Davis said.
“It’s not a widespread problem in prisons, but we need to stay one step ahead in preventing these substances from being introduced and distributed in the first place. This is about being proactive to ensure staff, prisoners and visitors are kept safe.
“The ingredients of synthetic drugs are constantly changing which means training will have to be ongoing, but this is an important step towards mitigating the potential dangers of these harmful substances.
“The next step is to make it easier for Corrections to test prisoners suspected of taking synthetic drugs to ensure people receive appropriate rehabilitation and drug treatment where needed.
“The Corrections Amendment Bill is currently before Parliament, and if passed, will allow prisoners to be tested for a wider range of drugs, including synthetic cannabis, and charged with a disciplinary offence if they return a positive test,” Kelvin Davis said.
A total of 25 drug, cellphone and tobacco detector dog teams operate in New Zealand prisons.
Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:01:19 +1200beehive.govt.nz105610Māori Crown agency to be established http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/m%C4%81ori-crown-agency-be-established
Cabinet has approved the final scope of the Māori Crown portfolio and agreed to establish an agency to oversee Government’s work with Māori in a post-settlement era, announced Crown/ Māori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis today.
“The agency, to be called the Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, will help facilitate the next step in the Treaty relationship – moving beyond the settlement of Treaty grievances into what it means to work together in partnerships,” Kelvin Davis said.
“The name reflects feedback from the hui that Māori should appear first in the relationship. Te Arawhiti, refers to the transition phase we are in, that is ‘the bridge’ between Māori and the Crown.
“Several other Government units and offices will be consolidated into the agency, including the Crown/Māori Relations Unit, the Office of Treaty Settlements, the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Team and the Settlement Commitments Unit. The consolidation will bring a sharper focus and efficiency to the Government’s work with Māori.”
In addition to finishing Treaty Settlements and Marine and Coastal Area applications, the new agency, based on the new scope of the Māori Crown portfolio, will provide strategic leadership across the public sector to:
ensure the Crown meets its Treaty obligations;
develop a new engagement model and guidelines for the Government and public sector;
co-design partnerships, principles and frameworks to ensure that agencies generate the best solutions to issues affecting Māori;
ensure public sector capability is strengthened across the board;
provide a cross Government view on the health of the Māori Crown partnerships;
provide strategic leadership on contemporary Treaty issues;
other matters including the constitutional and institutional arrangements supporting partnerships between the Crown and Māori: and
continue to take the lead in organising significant Māori and Crown events, ie Waitangi Day.
“While there are still some Treaty grievances to settle, I heard from many Māori how they want to engage with the Crown on a range of issues that look to the future.
“Together, Māori and the Crown want this portfolio to be about aspiration, and looking forward, in the post-settlement era,” Kelvin Davis said
Tue, 18 Sep 2018 15:35:15 +1200beehive.govt.nz105534New appointments to New Zealand Tourism Boardhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-appointments-new-zealand-tourism-board-0
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis today announced the appointment of Colleen Neville and Kauahi Ngapora as members of the New Zealand Tourism Board (known as Tourism New Zealand).
“These appointments will add tremendous value to the board as it works to increase the benefits to New Zealand from domestic and international tourism,” Kelvin Davis said.
“For these appointments I was looking for people with commercial tourism experience, particularly in the regions, a connection to Māori tourism operators, and strong financial acumen.
“I have also reappointed John Thorburn, Jamie Tuuta, and Jan Hunt for various terms, while chair Kerry Prendergast’s term has been extended to March 2019 to retain her experience and leadership while future changes are considered.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing members Richard Leggat, Christopher Parkin and Raewyn Idoine for their commitment, service and contributions to the board,” Kelvin Davis said.
Notes to editors
Ms Neville is chief executive of Te Arawa Group Holdings, which invests in the tourism, forestry, geothermal and agri-business sectors. She has been on the boards of Poutama Trust, Te Ohu Kaimoana, the NZ Forest Research Institute (Scion), Te Kakano Whakatipu Ltd, and Te Arawa Agribusiness Ltd. Ms Neville has a strong background in finance and accounting and is based in Rotorua.
Mr Ngapora is general manager of Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd and has 25 years of experience in the Māori tourism sector. His governance experience includes directorships at Tourism Industry Aotearoa and Whale Watch Australia. Mr Ngapora has also been chair of Destination Kaikoura and is a member of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund panel.
The New Zealand Tourism Board is a Crown entity, responsible for ensuring that New Zealand is effectively marketed as a visitor destination in order to maximise long-term benefits to New Zealand.
Thu, 13 Sep 2018 10:01:43 +1200beehive.govt.nz105454$19.6 million for essential tourism infrastructure http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/196-million-essential-tourism-infrastructure
The Government has allocated $19.6 million in funding for tourism infrastructure projects around the country, so local communities can feel the benefits of a healthy tourism sector, rather than the pressure it can create, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
The funding has been granted through the second round of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund and will be spread across 31 councils and community organisations.
“The extraordinary growth in visitor numbers we’ve seen over the past few years will likely continue for the foreseeable future, and these investments are essential to improving the quality of our tourism infrastructure to help manage that growth,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Successful applications include boardwalks and walkways, car parks, ramps, toilet and wastewater facilities, and dump stations.
“This funding is in addition to the $8.5 million the Government committed on 15 August to help communities manage freedom camping in their areas during the upcoming summer season.
“Managed well, tourism growth can significantly boost our economy, bring wealth to the regions and improve New Zealanders’ quality of life by creating more vibrant communities.
“I am also looking at ways the Government can step up to its stewardship role in bringing the industry together to create a more productive and sustainable sector.
“For example, we’re considering responsible camping legislation and how that might need to change for everyone’s benefit. We’re also implementing an international visitor levy to provide sustainable funding for infrastructure and conservation and we’re funding attractions through the Provincial Growth Fund that will help provide year-round jobs in our regions.
“We’ve made our first steps towards a better tourism experience – for Kiwis and for visitors – and you can expect to see more,” Kelvin Davis said.
For information on funding recipients for round two, visit http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/tourism/tourism-infrastructure-fund.Notes to editors:
The Tourism Infrastructure Fund provides $100 million over four years in co-funding for the development of visitor-related public infrastructure such as toilets, carparks, freedom camping facilities and sewerage and water works.
The largest investments include:
$5.71 million to the Southland District Council for the construction of a new land-based wastewater disposal system at Te Anau, infrastructure along the Southern Scenic Route and the upgrading of a carpark at Lake Manapouri Visitor Centre
$2.39 million to Queenstown Lakes District Council for the provision of toilet facilities across key locations throughout the district
$2.00 million to Thames-Coromandel District Council for an upgrade of visitor infrastructure in Hahei to respond to growth at nearby Cathedral Cove, as well as upgrades and new toilet facilities at Whangapoua and Onemana beaches
$1.34 million to the Far North District Council for three Bay of Islands sewerage and wastewater feasibility studies, toilet facilities across the district and the upgrade of carpark at Kawakawa to support the Hundertwasser Park Centre – Te Hononga project
$980,000 to the Westland District Council for the provision of toilet and freedom camping facilities at Ross, Whataroa, Kumara and Hokitika.
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 14:19:57 +1200beehive.govt.nz105420Tourism awards showcase top industry performershttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/tourism-awards-showcase-top-industry-performers
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis has congratulated all winners and finalists honoured at the Tourism Industry Aotearoa New Zealand Tourism Awards ceremony, held last night in Christchurch.
Kelvin Davis attended the event and presented the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award alongside Air New Zealand Chief Executive Christopher Luxon, as well as certificates to all finalists.
“There is much to celebrate about our tourism sector and it is important that we do so,” Kelvin Davis said.
“It was fantastic to see so many excellent tourism operators acknowledged for their hard work and innovation. I congratulate all the winners, and particularly Tourism Holdings Ltd. for taking out the supreme award for 2018.”
Regional Economic Development Under Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau presented the He Kai Kei Aku Ringa Māori Tourism Award to Whale Watch Kaikoura Ltd.
“Tourism is a priority for the Provincial Growth Fund and there are so many opportunities out there that can and will benefit our communities,” Fletcher Tabuteau said.
“It is great to see such a high bar being set in this critical sector.”
Kelvin Davis agreed that tourism has an important role to play, especially in regional New Zealand.
“Some of the work being done to grow sustainable tourism businesses, spread the benefits far and wide across our country and deliver authentic Māori experiences is phenomenal.
“The growth and success, and subsequent challenges, of the tourism industry have been well covered but given the calibre of firms represented last night we can be confident the industry is well placed to meet these challenges with innovation and creativity.
“I look forward to seeing how these great companies continue to deliver for New Zealand,” Kelvin Davis said.
Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:36:18 +1200beehive.govt.nz105384Corrections’ partnerships place 1500 people into employmenthttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/corrections%E2%80%99-partnerships-place-1500-people-employment
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says Corrections’ partnerships with employers have helped place over 1500 offenders into work as part of an ongoing commitment to ensuring offenders safely transition back into their communities and don’t re-offend.
Speaking at Corrections’ Regional Engagement Forum in Whangarei this morning, Kelvin Davis acknowledged the successful collaboration between Corrections and businesses through the This Way For Work pilot programme.
“For many of these people, this will be the first time they’ve held down a proper job. We shouldn’t underestimate how much of a difference that makes – if someone is able to walk out the prison gates and straight into a job then they’re far less likely to offend again,” Kelvin Davis said.
“That can be life-changing for them and their whānau, and it ultimately means our communities are much safer.
“I know it can be a big ask for employers to give someone with a criminal conviction another chance, but the reality is that we need employers to take that chance if we’re going to successfully reintegrate offenders.
“At the same time, employers are able to access a trained and motivated workforce, know upfront who they’re hiring, and receive ongoing support from Corrections both before and after they employ an offender. It’s win-win really.
“I’m really grateful that so many businesses right across the country have stepped up to support this programme and we must keep building on this success.
“I encourage all business owners, big and small, to jump on board because the more we can do to rehabilitate offenders and help them lead a normal life, the better off, and safer, we’ll all be,” Kelvin Davis said.
Notes to Editors
Further Regional Engagement Forums will also be held in Palmerston North in October and Rotorua and Dunedin in November.
This Way For Work has been running for 21 months and employs 13 specialist offender recruitment consultants across New Zealand to work with employers to help former prisoners and community offenders into sustainable employment.
Corrections currently has over 160 partnerships with employers in a range of industries, including construction, forestry, farming, transport, and electronic and electrical equipment manufacturing.
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 14:13:13 +1200beehive.govt.nz105274Speech: Corrections Regional Engagement Forum – Whangareihttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-corrections-regional-engagement-forum-%E2%80%93-whangarei
“We can’t keep judging someone by the worst mistake they’ve ever made - or there would be a hell of a lot more of us inside.”
That’s what Martin Bosley - one of our country’s most acclaimed chefs and restauranteurs – told a room of about a hundred very well-fed guests a few weeks ago.
I was lucky enough to be one of them.
We had just been treated to several courses of gourmet food that you’d be stoked to receive at the swankiest of restaurants in New Zealand.
But this was a fine dining experience with a difference.
We weren’t sitting in a five-star restaurant. We were in the Staff Training College Dining Room at Rimutaka Prison.
The immaculately dressed men with impeccable manners who served us our meals were prisoners.
And the six men who had prepared and cooked this incredible feast – looking a mixture of pride and total discomfort at being put into the spotlight - well, they were prisoners too.
We were at the Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate event, a hugely popular part of the Wellington on a Plate food festival, where over a period of six years the men of Rimutaka have served up roughly 2,000 dinners to hundreds of people behind the wire.
That night Martin and the other guest chefs spoke about how working with these men over the years had opened their eyes to what prison could be - and should be - about.
They said their experiences working with prisoners in the kitchen – seeing their professionalism, pride and skills on display - totally changed their perception of what’s possible with industry training in our prisons.
It made them realise that they have far more options than they had first thought about who they can employ in their businesses.
They stopped seeing these men as prisoners, futureless and stigmatised – and started seeing them as people, with hopes and dreams, and something meaningful to offer society.
And that’s really what today is about.
It’s about – hopefully – changing perceptions, opening eyes and building relationships.
We will be talking about the work we have underway to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders, and how you can hopefully be part of that work - because there’s certainly plenty for you to get involved in.
To Corrections’ National Commissioner, Rachel Leota and Acting Regional Commissioner Al Riach, as well as all the Corrections staff, here today – welcome and thank you for organising this fantastic event.
Welcome also to our existing partners and friends from the local and wider community – it’s great to have you with us.
I want to thank you and our Corrections staff for all your hard work in the region.
I know it’s not always easy, but you’re doing a great job to help people change their lives for the better so we can keep our communities safe.
And to everyone here attending a Corrections event for the first time – it’s a real privilege to join you this morning.
For those who don’t know – Corrections’ Northern Region stretches from the Bombay Hills to here in the far North.
It’s probably the busiest in terms of infrastructure and people – all up we have approximately 2,000 staff members; five prisons with a total capacity for over 2,600 prisoners; and 15 Community Corrections sites, managing roughly 10,000 offenders on community-based sentences.
And as we speak, the majority of these offenders will be involved in some kind of treatment, rehabilitation, education, training or employment programme.
We have had some impressive achievements both here and right across the country in this space.
In 2016/17, nearly 2,000 prisoners took part in trades training, over 1,400 received intensive literacy and numeracy support, and almost 4,000 qualifications were achieved by prisoners while in prison.
But you and I both know that it’s not just about some flash-sounding numbers; it’s about what these numbers represent.
Because when we actively support offenders to learn and earn, we’re giving them the best opportunity possible to reintegrate back into their communities, get ahead, and live crime free once they’ve finished their sentence.
I know that the reality is that many offenders have complex needs and that they require significant support to get back and stay on track.
This isn’t the sort of work Corrections can do on its own, which is why a core part of their work involves building strong, trusting relationships with organisations, businesses, community groups and iwi.
We’ve seen some great examples of these partnerships in action.
For instance, earlier this year I attended the NorthTec graduation where seven prisoners had just finished a Level 3 Certificate in Construction Trade Skills Painting.
Meeting the graduates, seeing the pride in their faces and hearing first-hand how much they valued this qualification and what it meant for their futures only reinforced for me how vital this work is.
And Corrections has partnerships with the likes of the Howard League with the two working together to help offenders get driver licences so they can get back on the road and into work.
And then we have a whole heap of great stuff happening through the This Way for Work pilot.
For those who don’t know, this programme involves 13 offender recruitment consultants across the country working with employers to place people with criminal convictions into stable work.
In the 21 months that this has been running, over 1,500 people have been placed into work.
That’s a monthly average of 70 odd people – and for some of these offenders, it’s the first time they have held down a job.
We all know how life-changing that can be.
And of course, for those of you who are employers, programmes like this have the added benefit of giving you access to a reliable, trained, and motivated workforce, and allowing you to know upfront who you’re employing, and that you have ongoing support from Corrections.
So far Corrections has entered into over 160 partnerships with employers to help offenders into all types of work – from construction services to forestry, logging, farming, and electronic and electrical equipment manufacturing.
This is just some of the work underway, and I’m keen – as I know Corrections is – for us to do even more together.
Now as many of you will have heard, this Government has set a long-term goal to reduce New Zealand’s prison population by 30 percent over the next 15 years.
One thing I have asked Corrections to look at to help us achieve this goal is what I call the transition points in our system – especially for those in prison.
What this means is that I want us to do everything possible to ensure people walk out our prison gates as better people, not broken people – and that means giving them the support they need both before and when they are released back into their communities.
We have a lot to look forward to.
Just last week we held our Criminal Justice Summit, which marked the start of a much-needed conversation about what needs to be done to build a justice system that better ensures the safety and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.
As we look to the months and years ahead, we need people, businesses and organisations and leaders like you to feed into the work we’re doing in the criminal justice space and to keep helping offenders – through training, education and employment – get on the right track.
Because you really are one of our most valuable assets in helping us safely reduce the prison population and in helping us keep our communities safe – and once again, thank you to those of you who are already doing just that.
“We can’t keep judging someone by the worst mistake they’ve ever made - or there would be a hell of a lot more of us inside.”
Martin Bosley’s statement still resonates with me. That night, I could feel the emotion of what he was saying – and I could see for myself that perceptions were changed in that room. I want everyone in this room to be a part of that.
So, for all the employers here today. When you get to that part of the job application form which asks if the candidate has ever been convicted of an offence, please don’t just write-them off if there’s a tick in that box. Ask a few more questions.
I hope today inspires you to give offenders a second chance so we can not only help them but improve the safety and wellbeing of their whanau and our communities too.
Thank you.
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 10:55:12 +1200beehive.govt.nz105260Wānanga underway on the future of Māori educationhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/w%C4%81nanga-underway-future-m%C4%81ori-education
Following on from the Education Summit, a series of wānanga are being held from Kaitaia to Dunedin to help shape the future of Māori education, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
“This government is focused on raising achievement for all Māori learners. These wānanga, facilitated by the Ministry of Education, are the biggest opportunity in decades to make sure all Māori voices are heard on education,” Kelvin Davis said.
“We are off to a great start. About 100 people representing whānau, hapū, iwi, and kura attended the first wānanga in Rotorua today.
“Normalising te reo, improving and increasing the number of te reo teachers, as well as utilising traditional customs and practice were top of mind for participants, along with more careers focused subjects.
“At these wānanga, participants will discuss what’s important to Māori in education; what we value about education; and what we want to change to ensure even greater success for all Māori in education, life and employment.
“Māori will be telling us the best ways to promote the hauora of Māori learners, and about building stronger connections between education, iwi, whānau and local communities.”
“Between now and mid-October over 25 other wānanga will be held. I will be attending a number to hear the views of our people directly, as will other ministers.
“We want all Māori children, parents, families, educators and employers to come along to their local wānanga, and have their say,” Kelvin Davis said.
Notes to editors
The wānanga are part of the Education Conversation | Kōrero Mātauranga.
For a list of local dates and times, go to: https://conversation.education.govt.nz/events/
Media wishing to attend a wānanga can contact media@education.govt.nz to register their interest
Tue, 28 Aug 2018 16:17:46 +1200beehive.govt.nz105218Justice Summit: Discussion on improving our criminal justice systemhttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/justice-summit-discussion-improving-our-criminal-justice-system
Good morning everyone and thank you all for the warm welcome.
Yesterday was a busy and thought-provoking start to the summit, and I’m grateful that so many people have taken the time to share their views and experiences of our current criminal justice system.
Your voices – both now and in the months and years to come – will be pivotal in this public debate on what is working well and where we can and must do better.
Because we can do better.
As I mentioned yesterday, New Zealand now has one of the highest incarceration rates per capita in the world.
Over the past five years, the prison population has increased by 20 per cent.
This Government inherited a prison system that was under stress and heading even further in the wrong direction.
Yesterday we listened to the concerns and criticisms you had of the Department of Corrections
And if we are honest about wanting to change the system we need to be open to criticism.
But we also need to acknowledge people when they do a good job.
I want to acknowledge Corrections and their frontline staff who have worked tirelessly to safely and securely manage our growing prison population.
I know you don’t have the option of turning people away and that it is not always easy for staff – so thank you.
I have long argued that there is no good justification for our prison population being as high as it is.
It is why I wanted the job of Corrections Minister.
It was never going to be an easy gig, and nor should it.
It is not good enough for us politicians to simply sit back and claim that the solution to reducing crime and re-offending is to build more prisons to lock people up for longer.
Saying we should be tough on crime might make for a good soundbite, but in the end it doesn’t necessarily make the public any safer.
I fundamentally believe that we can not only halt, but reverse the growing prison population, and that we can do so in a way that keeps the public safe and genuinely changes people’s lives for the better.
That is why the Government has a long-term goal to reduce New Zealand’s prison population by 30 percent over the next 15 years.
It’s no small feat, and it will take all of those 15 years to reach that target.
Now I want to be clear – reducing the prison population does not mean releasing serious offenders to drive down numbers.
It means preventing crime, ensuring that the system treats people fairly, rehabilitating prisoners and transitioning them into the communities.
The Ministry of Justice, NZ Police and Corrections all need to play their part.
When I took up this job I asked Corrections to put on their thinking caps and come up with ways of working more effectively.
It is the first step in Corrections doing their bit to ensure our system is working for and with prisoners rather than just against them.
Corrections formed the High Impact Innovation Programme.
Thanks to the hard work they’ve put in through EM Bail Ready, Remand Triage and Parole Ready, and their continued work to:
Remove administrative barriers that prevent the release of those who are eligible for bail;
Reduce the likelihood of future offending by giving extra support to defendants on bail;
Speeding up court appearances to reduce delays for those remanded in custody;
And lastly, working with people in custody to better prepare them for success on parole.
We are already starting to see progress in our prison numbers.
In March this year our prison population peaked at around 10,800 people – as of Monday, 20 August, it is 10,237.
Before now, the prison population had been increasing ahead of forecast for a number of years.
We are now tracking below the forecast for the first time in a long time - by roughly a thousand people.
I have also asked Corrections to look really closely at what I call the transition points in our system.
The best opportunity we have to help people live crime-free, is to give them the support they need both before and as they are released back into their communities.
A critical part of that is housing, because we know that being homeless increases a person’s likelihood of committing crime.
A lack of safe, appropriate housing has made reintegration difficult. We know a lack of accommodation can be a barrier to people getting parole when they would otherwise be eligible.
That is why Budget 2018 sets aside $57.6 million over the next four years to provide housing and, more importantly, support services in areas like training, employment and health for over 300 people a year.
This is just one part of the work we have underway.
Corrections has developed a refreshed set of top ten priorities, based on evidence and best practice from around the world about what works when it comes to rehabilitation and transitional services.
You will have all received a copy of Corrections’ booklet outlining these priorities – I encourage you all to have a look, and there is also a pull-out section in there where you can fill in your feedback for us.
We’ve got some bins around the walls here where you can put your feedback form, so please do take the time to share your thoughts.
These priorities set out a clear roadmap for how we will provide more suitable alternatives to custody, and better programmes and support that will keep the public safe and improve the lives of people who offend, their whānau, and our wider community.
In 2018 and 19 this will mean:
Improved services, including education skills and primary health support, for people on remand.
The expansion of our core rehabilitation programmes to reach an extra 490 people per year.
More guided release activities, particularly for youth, to help people transition back into the community post-prison.
Additional kaupapa Māori support through Whare Oranga Ake and the development of two new rehabilitation centres to support women in the community, as an alternative to prison.
An extra 13 recruitment consultants to support people on community-based sentences into work.
More housing in the community, including seven places for people on bail, 31 places for people on home detention and 47 places for people on parole.
Six iwi navigators to help young people create meaningful connections with their whānau and communities.
That’s just the start.
And while we still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go, under this Government, and with your input, we have a real opportunity to make long-lasting change.
These may sound like small changes, but they are having a big impact. Not just on the numbers inside our prisons – they are also helping people through the system, rehabilitating them, getting them ready to re-join their families, supporting them when they are released – we are giving them the best chance to change their lives for good.
But I want to know what you think.
About our work programme, about our priorities, I want to hear your ideas.
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 16:45:44 +1200beehive.govt.nz105160Criminal Justice Summit: Plenary discussion on over-representation of Māori in the system http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/criminal-justice-summit-plenary-discussion-over-representation-m%C4%81ori-system
“I had never been hit or abused, until the day the men came to take me away. I still don’t even know why.”
That’s how Sam began to tell me his story at a marae in Whangarei.
Sam is now 60. The gang patches on his face still vivid.
His life has been spent in and out of prison. But now, he has had enough.
Enough of the violence. Enough of the P. Enough of ‘The Life.’
Sam was just 10 years-old when strangers arrived at his house in Mangere and took him away. His only crime was that he was born into a whānau of 16 children.
They took him away from his home, away from his family, and put him on a train to a boys’ home in Levin.
He had never known abuse or violence in his life until he walked through their doors.
Four years later - and Sam was put on another train and sent back to Auckland.
He told me that when he stepped off the train in Auckland he had changed so much as a person that it no longer felt like home. He felt like he no longer belonged there.
Within two weeks he had joined a gang – a new home, a new family he would remain with for the next 48 years.
When Sam told me his story - in fact when Māori across the country doing time tell me their stories - I can’t help but ask the question:
Why didn’t we do something? As a government, as Māori: Why didn’t we help?
Why are Māori up and down the country more likely to visit the pad than the marae?
And why are whole whānau turning to crime to feed their kids rather than turning to the government for support?
We took that 10 year-old boy – scared and confused – we took him, we threw him into the system and it spat out a broken young man with nowhere to turn but a life in the gang.
Why did we let that happen to Sam? And why do we still refuse to be bold and brave and do something to help people like Sam today?
We take pride in New Zealand as a country that leads the world in many ways.
Whether it’s our sporting achievements, our science and tech innovation, or our film industry. And we should be proud of these things.
But there is an ugly reality in this country. We are a world leader when it comes to putting people in prison.
We can’t seem to get enough of it.
We have the second highest incarceration rate in the world - and a level of imprisonment that is simply devastating our Māori whānau and communities.
You have all seen the statistics.
Roughly 16 per cent of our country’s population are Māori, yet we make up 51 per cent of all people in prison.
It is worse for our women and our young people.
Wāhine Māori make up around 60 per cent of the female prison population and the figure is similar for the number of young Māori offenders doing time on the inside.
It’s not just imprisonment rates.
Our people are over-represented at every stage of the criminal justice system:
In Oranga Tamariki care; in Youth Justice; criminal convictions; in dealings with the Police, and as victims of crime.
It’s not a new problem.
Successive governments have failed to overcome this challenge, let alone accept it as one that we can and must overcome.
This is personal for me.
I look around this room and I see Māori – professionals, public servants, whānau, leaders and iwi representatives – and I know you feel this too.
These are our people I'm talking about. Over half of all prisoners are Māori and about half of these are from my iwi of Ngāpuhi.
In fact, my tribe of Ngāpuhi are probably the most incarcerated tribe in the world per head of population.
I’ve had whānau in prison. I grew up in a street where a number of people living there went to prison. These guys were my mates: I used to build huts with them; swim in the floods with them; we would play in the paddocks together.
That’s not to excuse the offences these people have committed – but something has to be done to reduce the scale of this problem and the sheer waste of human potential.
So, this is very much a personal issue.
And as the Minister of Corrections: I want answers.
There is only so much you can learn from reports and international evidence, patterns, rates and projections.
I wanted to talk to prisoners.
So I have gone up and down the country, brought together groups of Māori inmates and asked them the simple question:
What do we need to do to help you so that when you leave prison you never come back?
And when I talk about ‘We’ – I mean the Government and Māori together.
I don’t know what I expected - but what I didn’t expect was the openness of each man and woman who spoke.
A woman at Wiri told me she had spent her life in and out of prison.
She had violent outbursts and the scars on her wrists told the story of those days when it all got too much.
Then she talked about an anger management course she had just finished.
She said it had changed her life: She can now communicate with her family, regulate her emotions and control her outbursts.
She then asked me: ‘Why couldn’t I have done this course when I was 15? Gee, my life would have been so different’.
I heard similar stories from the men I sat down with in the Special Treatment Unit at Rimutaka.
One of these men told me the rehabilitation programme they were on had taught him he actually had options when he became angry– options other than expressing that anger and frustration as violence.
Another said he had never even thought about or considered his inner feelings and emotions until he was on this programme – because the way he was raised, talking about feelings or showing vulnerability was not acceptable. It was unthinkable.
And all of them told me the same thing: They don’t want this life for their kids.
Then there’s the young Māori man who told me that when he was released from prison all he wanted to do was go home and see his Mum and Dad - but because he had a Non Association Order and his whole family were in a gang - he couldn’t go home.
He said: ‘I get that they take my freedom away because of the crimes I committed. But they took my whānau too’.
Men in prison tell me how much they benefit from Tikanga Māori courses - that it changes their lives when they learn haka, waiata and karakia.
But when that man goes home changed and wanting to live a new life - before he sits down to eat with his whānau he starts to say karakia and his wife and kids look at him like he’s a stranger.
Just last week, an articulate and polite young Māori man - only 18 years-old - had a tattoo scribbled across his face that read: ‘Trust No One’.
I asked him why he got that tattoo and he replied: ‘No one has done nothing for me, and everyone has let me down. My whānau, my friends and the system’.
Those disappointments and failures are now etched on his face as a constant reminder.
And why would he believe any different?
The system is broken.
It’s not working. And our whānau are hurting the most.
If we genuinely want to see fewer Māori caught in the system as both perpetrators and victims of crime, then we need to fundamentally change our approach to criminal justice.
This summit marks the start of this change.
It’s time as a government, it’s time as Māori that we work together to help our people.
In our communities, in our prisons and when they come out.
There had to be dozens of points in Sam’s life when someone could have stepped in.
And in Sam’s case, the one time we did step in, our intervention sent him down the path that ultimately turned him into a gang member – and not just him, but his whānau, and their whānau too.
In the end, we punished a child whose only crime was being born into a family of 16 children, then we sentenced him to a life of crime.
And we need to own that.
It’s our fault he spent nearly half a century in a gang.
If you think Sam is the exception to the rule – you are wrong.
There are 5000 Sams in our prisons. And they include his children, and his grandchildren.
We need to do something together to create a different future for Māori and for their whanau.
We need to break the cycle, connect them to their people, help them, and have hope for them.
And if we accept that there is a need for change – then we must all be part of that.
We - all of us - need to change the system. But we also need to change.
As a government we need to make sure the system helps and does not hurt Māori further.
We need to make sure those who have found their way into the system leave as better people - not broken people.
And when I visit our prisons full of our Māori men and women, I know that - if we are 51 per cent of the problem – then it must be up to us to lead the solution.
But we can only do it with the support of every person in this room.
As Māori we need to take care of our own, rather than closing our doors. We need to face up to and free ourselves from the violence that many of our people, our whānau struggle with.
Here’s where we can learn something from Sam:
When he heard the boys’ home in Levin had closed, he and his wife jumped in the car and drove back to the place where it all started.
He told me it was something he just had to do.
And it was when he was standing outside the gates that he finally broke down and offered his forgiveness.
He forgave the men who took him away; the boys’ home that broke his spirit; the government and the people who turned their backs on him.
He forgave us.
As a gang member you would expect Sam to be hard - to be strong. But one of the strongest things he’s ever done is to forgive us for the life we gave him, his kids, and his grandkids.
I’ll probably never know why Sam trusted me with his story. I was a stranger to him.
What I do know, is that I feel the weight of carrying his story, telling his story and sharing it with all of you.
And I know that we need to write a new story for our people.
So: What are we going to do? That is my question to all of you here today.
Together, how are we going to take up the challenge that others have been too timid, or too hardened or too short-sighted to accept?
What are we going to do to deserve Sam’s forgiveness?
[ENDS]
Tue, 21 Aug 2018 19:34:41 +1200beehive.govt.nz105120$30 million investment for Kura and Manukurahttp://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/30-million-investment-kura-and-manukura
The Government is investing $30 million to expand two schools, providing their staff and students with permanent sites to teach and learn from, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.
Today Kelvin Davis visited Manukura, a designated character school in Palmerston North, which will receive $20 million for a permanent new school. Te Wharekura o Ngā Purapura o Te Aroha will also receive $10 million. The funding was allocated in Budget 2018.
Both schools have been operating from temporary sites.
“The students who go to these schools are keen to learn and they deserve the best, modern fit-for-purpose learning environments,” Kelvin Davis said.
“Lifting achievement of our tamariki and rangatahi is a priority for me as minister. Today’s announcement is about ensuring these schools have teaching spaces that support students to succeed.
“Māori medium schools have seen a steady rise in student numbers, and we need to support them to grow and provide quality education.”
The two schools will each be built on new sites. Construction on the schools is expected to begin in about 18 months.
“Our investment will see these schools receive the permanent sites they have been waiting for, so they can focus on what they do best – teaching and learning,” Kelvin Davis said.
Note to Editors:
This funding is a part of Budget 2018 investment to support schools experiencing roll growth pressures. Almost $70 million to build new schools and add capacity has been announced so far.
Further announcements will be made about investments in school property under Budget 2018 in the coming weeks.
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 14:13:30 +1200beehive.govt.nz105068Māori and Pasifika scholarship recipients named http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/m%C4%81ori-and-pasifika-scholarship-recipients-named
30 highly-accomplished Māori and Pasifika student teachers have been awarded prestigious Kupe Scholarships in a presentation ceremony hosted by Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis in Parliament today.
The Scholarship is worth over $25,000 and aims to attract Māori and Pasifika high achievers to the teaching profession and support them to become inspiring teachers and role models in early childhood, primary and secondary education.
“It’s fantastic to see the Kupe Scholarship being utilised to encourage Māori and Pacific peoples into a teaching career,” Kelvin Davis said.
“These scholarships reflect the Government’s commitment to raising the quality of education and education outcomes for Māori and Pacific students.
“One of the biggest levers we have to raise Māori and Pacific achievement is to strengthen teaching.
“That means ensuring we have a pipeline of competent Māori and Pacific teachers making the most of professional learning and development to support a confident and culturally competent teaching workforce.”
“The scholars that we’re celebrating today have already demonstrated high academic achievement, leadership, and close links with their communities, and this scholarship provides them the opportunity to make a real difference for kids in the classroom,” Kelvin Davis said.
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 19:04:22 +1200beehive.govt.nz105062